Question

Marcus is hanging a porch swing on his front porch. The first thing he has to do is attach two springs to the ceiling. Then, he fastens the swing to the springs so that they can stretch and support the weight of the swing. Which two types of potential energy do the springs have?

Answer 1

Gravitational potential energy and Elastic potential energy

Step-by-step explanation:

The two types of potential energy the springs described in the question have are Gravitational potential energy and Elastic potential energy.

Firstly, it must be noted that potential energy is the energy stored/present in a stationary (non-moving) object (or object at rest).

Gravitational potential energy is the potential energy as a result of the vertical position of an object due to force of gravity acting to pull it down. The gravitational potential energy is as a result of the springs been attached to the ceiling which causes the force of gravity to want to pull it down. This gravitational force is further increased when the swing is attached causing the weight of swing to act in the direction of the force of gravity.

Elastic potential energy is the potential energy stored in an elastic object or energy stored in an object that can be stretched or compressed. This is the energy that would always be found in a spring, so when the springs have been attached to the ceiling and the swing has been fastened to them, there elastic potential energy would reduce as a result of the kinetic energy that must have been used to stretch the springs.